IPCO Annual Report 2018
Letter to the Prime Minister
The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA
December 2019
Dear Prime Minister,
I enclose the Annual Report covering the work of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office
from 1 January to 31 December 2018.
Although I am submitting the Report, having recently been appointed as the Investigatory Powers
Commissioner, this covers a period under my predecessor, the Rt Hon Lord Justice Fulford, and
the introduction in the following pages therefore comes from him. The Report is, as those before
have been, written in two sections. This public report includes information on the use of covert
powers by UK authorities and includes the details required of my office under section 234 of the
Investigatory Powers Act 2016. The Confidential Annex to this report contains sensitive details
which should not be published for reasons of national security.
It is for you to determine, in consultation with my office, whether the report can be published in its
full form, without releasing material which would be contrary to the public interest, or prejudicial
to national security, to the prevention or detection of serious crime, to the economic wellbeing of
the United Kingdom, or to the discharge of the functions of those authorities which I oversee.
I would like take this opportunity to thank Lord Justice Fulford for his exemplary work as
Commissioner, as well as the other Judicial Commissioners and the team of the Investigatory
Powers Commissioner’s Office. Although I have only been in post for a few weeks, it is clear that
an incredibly high standard has been set for the oversight of the use of covert powers across the
UK, which we can build on through the years to come. I also wish to pay tribute to the work of the
authorities that we oversee; they have demonstrated exceptional dedication and professionalism,
which are critical to the successful application of these powers.
Yours sincerely,
The Rt Hon. Sir Brian Leveson
The Investigatory Powers Commissioner
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